Auburn, known for California's
historic Gold Rush, is approximately 130 miles from San Francisco and 30
miles northeast of Sacramento along Highway 80 in the foothills of the
Sierra Nevada Mountains. Home to the county seat of Placer County,
this small city is a popular tourist attraction providing the
look and feel of the California Gold Rush experienced in buildings from that era.
Guests visiting can pan for gold, kayak the American River and
tour the fantastic buildings where ghosts of the gold still
reside. Nearby attractions include Sacramento
and beautiful South Lake Tahoe with
gambling casinos such as Harvey's and Harrah's across the Nevada State
Line.
Named in 1849 to commemorate a place so
many settlers came from, Auburn, NY, the word "auburn" aptly describes
the reddish-burnt color of the hills and gullies near the Auburn Ravine
where gold was discovered in 1848.
As you enter the city, a huge
forty-five ton statue of a gold miner Claude Chana, pays a larger-than-life tribute to the man responsible for Auburn’s beginnings. Located on
Washington Street, the massive sculpture stands near a spot where Chana may have
panned for gold. Local dentist Kenneth Fox made the statue
in 1975 and sold it for $8,000. Fox used Paul Avery, a local resident who
often panned for gold, as a model for his popular sculpture since no
photos or drawings of the famed Frenchman, Chana, were available. The
dentist
moved most the stones for the sculpture himself but also got help from
his kids. Fox, who moved to Auburn at the age of three and opened a dental
office in 1947, also created other statues
tourists can see and photograph. They include the 420-foot Amazon
Archer, Chains of Freedom and several more.
People drawn to this beautiful, hilly town
with its dry hot summers and cool winters
come to see historic buildings and hear the tales of the gold rush era. An
overnight stay can include your choice of five hotels, all with outdoor
swimming pools, three accepting pets and modern conveniences such as
cable TV that would cause early miners roll their eyes and wish they'd
had it so good.
These miners who came to search for
gold first lived in tent cities near the ravines, close to the laborious work
that consumed them. Their rickety homes were made of highly-flammable brush, wood, cloth
and canvas. It's no surprise that a fire completely destroyed their campsites.
Re-establishing themselves in more secure
accommodations, the population moved uphill away from the ravines. New homes
were built of stone and brick and
fitted with iron doors for fire protection. This historic portion of
town still stands, following the contours of the hills and gullies that
twist and turn. Known as Old Town, most the buildings from the 1860’s
are still in use today, and guests are invited to explore the shops,
businesses and museums open to the public. Be sure to look
at several buildings of significance: Placer County
Courthouse, Oldest Operating US Post Office and Historic (red)
Firehouse.
The Placer County Courthouse listed on The National Register of Historic
Places is a three-story Classic Revival structure with a bracketed
cornice and Renaissance Revival dome. Completed in 1898, there's a
museum containing the Pate Collection of Native American Art. A
Sheriff's Office, Placer County Museum Gift Shop, Placer County Research
Center and Museum Gallery with a holographic image of a miner and
historical exhibits are located in the Courthouse, which is open to the
public, free of charge. Location:
Placer County Museum, 101 Maple Street, Auburn
A friendly chamber of commerce welcomes tourists
with a healthy list of activities and things to
do throughout the year. From weekend guided walking tours of Old Town to
an old-fashioned Christmas Tree Lighting and holiday merriment, guests
feel they've rolled back the clock to enjoy a lifestyle and values
missing in larger cities. Auburn, the “Endurance Capital of the
World” hosts the Tevis Cup and Western States ultra run each year.
Visitors can enjoy shopping, fine dining, entertainment, antique shops,
art galleries, museums, and many activities and events nearby such as
fishing, hiking, camping, mountain biking, golfing, horseback riding,
backpacking, rafting, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, sailing,
sailboarding and water skiing.
Numerous books document Auburn's
history and significance in the California Gold Rush. But for those who
seek a brief glimpse into the past, the first known inhabitants
approximately 4,000 years ago were native Americans,
an offshoot of the Maidu Tribe. They enjoyed a bounty of fruits and
meats in the mountains and lakes of the Sierra Mountain foothills.
Before European contact there were approximately 200,000 Indians in the
Sacramento Valley, with the largest population near the major rivers.
In 1832 - 1833, the Hudson Bay Co.
sponsored a fur trapping and scouting expedition to California. The
expedition introduced small pox, influenza, and measles to the Indian
population. Resulting in a 50 percent reduction in the entire California
Indian population, entire villages and tribes were destroyed. In the
1850s, the Gold Rush further devastated the Indian population. By 1860,
less than 20 percent of the original Indian population remained.
Continued pressures on Indian populations have resulted in less than 5
percent of the original population in the Sacramento area remaining
today. For more information, visit Auburn Rancheria.
auburnrancheria.com
The discovery of gold by Frenchman
Claude Chana on May 16, 1848, put Auburn on the modern-day map. In 1850
the population was 1200. Known as one of the milder, friendlier gold
mining camps, there was less crime and murders in Auburn. Still, nearly every historical account mentions the town’s
first lynching which took place on Christmas Day, December 25, 1850. An
English miner named Sharp shot and killed another miner. He turned
himself over to the sheriff but the crowd wasn't appeased. They
reportedly seized the prisoner, held a miners’ court, quickly handed down a
guilty verdict and hanged him from an oak tree in the middle of town.
Interestingly, the hangings in the surrounding gold towns are remembered and
fairly well documented. Another Gold Rush city nearby, Placerville, was
once called Hangtown. An effigy of a man wearing a noose hangs from the
second story window of Hangman's Tree Historic Spot, 305 Main St. As gold played out in a few short years, Auburn
pushed forward, celebrating Central Pacific Railroad's
official stop in Auburn which began on May 13, 1865. Rail transportation in
and out of the region created new industries such as lumber, livestock,
dairy and agriculture.
The Placer County Department of Museums system is composed of six
museums that focus on the rich heritage of Placer County. Call: (530)
889-6500
BERNHARD MUSEUM COMPLEX
291 Auburn-Folsom Road, Auburn
(530) 889-4156
GOLD COUNTRY MUSEUM
1273 High Street, Auburn
(530) 889-4134
NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN ANNEX
1225 Lincoln Way, Auburn
(530) 889-4134
GRIFFITH QUARRY MUSEUM
Taylor Road, Penryn
(530) 663-1837
GOLDEN DRIFT MUSEUM
32820 Main Street, Dutch Flat
FOREST HILL DIVIDE MUSEUM
24601 Harrison Street, Foresthill
California Welcome Center, Auburn
13411 Lincoln Way
Auburn, Ca 95603
Tel: 530-887-2111
visitplacer.com
Be sure to visit the Auburn Chamber of
Commerce web site for the extensive events calendar with charity balls,
outdoor farmer market shopping, guided history tours, holiday town
gatherings at Christmas, Easter, Halloween and Thanksgiving, plus
concerts and many fun things to do throughout the year. An airport and
fairgrounds provide added venues for popular events such as Thunder in
the Sky held in August.
auburnchamber.net
